The stacking of mail is a tedious operation because irregularly shaped articles such as magazines, pamphlets, postcards, brochures, envelopes or product samples are superimposed one on top of the other in a vertical alignment and some restraint is needed to retain the bundle in stack form.
Presently, the U.S. Postal Service provides employees with narrow flaccid straps which encircle the bundle to prevent article displacement. These straps are comprised of canvas or similar non-resilient material and they measure about 1 inch in width. The ends of these straps may include a buckle-type fastener and an encircled portion thereof is usually used as a handle means. Unfortunately, the bundles assembled in this manner are not secure because the narrow straps leave large portions of the mail exposed and individual pieces are easily dislodged and can become separated. This difficulty is exacerbated by the fact that the straps have no resilience and, as a result, they exert little or no holding effect on the mail pieces with which they are in contact.
Also, the buckle-type fasteners which are used to secure the presently available straps create an unstable package because the buckle is cumbersome and its size makes it difficult to position the bundle on a flat surface. Moreover, such bundles cannot be stacked on top of one another with any assurance and, therefore, they do not contribute to an efficient utilization of space.
As a result, postal service employees usually assemble small bundles of an easily manageable size but this too is improvident because smaller bundles require a larger expenditure of time and materiel to assemble and additional time is needed to convey these multiple stacks to their destination.
Accordingly, there is a need for a strap assembly which can be used to secure and carry an essentially large volume of mail in a safe, convenient, reliable and economical manner with no diminuition of employee efficiency.